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Serenity

© James C. Hess

Gourmand. Having all but gorged myself on the epic literary masterpiece, "Olympos", by acclaimed and award-winning writer Dan Simmons, I was justifiably and reasonably hesitant to subject myself to the latest space opera churned from the bowels of the Hollywood Machine, "Serenity". After all, I have been told time and again, following a great meal with junk food is just plain bad taste.

But, still. There was something about this movie, "Serenity", that had an appeal I found difficult to resist. So, just this side of passing out from being quite full, in the entertainment sense, I made my way into the darkness of the local theater, flopped down in a chair halfway back, let out a sufficient indicator of internal distress from consuming too much of a good thing, and made myself ready for what was to come next.

"Serenity", undeniably, is junk food. The worst kind, in fact. It may cause you to have pimples and other facial blemishes and outbreaks. It may cause you gastrointestinal distress. It may cause you to experience blackheads and bad breath, greasy hair and dark circles under your eyes. In fact, it may cause flat feet and lower back issues, because you will have spent so much of the time bouncing up and down in your theater seat, cheering and hooting, and howling, screaming with delight, slapping your knees, and smacking your feet against the presumbably sticky floor. All for a simple reason: "Serenity" is an old-fashioned, old-school, old-style space opera, undeniably loud and noisy, stupid, raw, rough, rowdy, and often raunchy. It is the sort of cinematic effort intelligentsia of all stripes will unapologetically turn their noses up at. I hope they do, because such behavior will quickly reveal them for the fools and bigots they no doubt are.

Serenity" is a cinematic rollercoaster. Straight up. No exceptions. It is fun. Loud, bawdy fun. The sort of thing that goes to make for dirty pleasures because good, decent, nice people won't be caught admitting to experiencing such things.

It is the sort of effort that you will go to see again and again. The first time, possibly by yourself because you don't want to admit to liking such things. The second time with family and close friends, because you have come to learn they like such efforts as well. The third time because it has become an event you can share with others who want nothing more than entertainment.

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